Wheeler gets it right in police chief search (Letter to the editor)

I'm writing in response to Rev. Charles Heath's letter to the editor ("Top cop's job description is so much pandering by Portland's mayor," May 19).

Simply "acknowledging" that Oregon has a racist history, and that it extends to the current day, especially within our police department, is not "making it sound like we're holding weekly Klan rallies in Pioneer Square." Rather, it simply expresses a relevant truth, a necessary step in addressing the issues that underscore the need for new leadership in the first place.

And this is not "pandering" to constituents. It's called serving the public's interest, which, incidentally, is the mayor's job. As is knowing whether the right person for the job is already within the department (a really big assumption, given the issue at hand).

I give Mayor Ted Wheeler credit for this one. He hasn't put every step right on this particular issue, to be sure, but this is one that he can, and has, put right.